Is abdominal drainage good for cats with feline infectious peritonitis?

Abdominal drainage can alleviate symptoms in cats, but it does not have a significant impact on disease recovery. There is currently no method to cure feline infectious peritonitis by draining abdominal fluid. What can be done is symptomatic treatment to reduce the cat's suffering. Foreign studies have found that hormone-based drug GC376 has a certain therapeutic effect on wet feline infectious peritonitis, and there are cases where abdominal fluid has been successfully absorbed by the body.

Effects of abdominal drainage

Feline infectious peritonitis has a very high clinical mortality rate, treatment is difficult, and the cost is high. In the later stages of the disease, cats may develop abdominal or pleural fluid. When there is a large amount of fluid, cats may experience difficulty breathing and loss of appetite. Timely puncture and drainage of the fluid can effectively alleviate symptoms, but it does not cure the disease. If the owner does not want the cat to suffer, they can also choose euthanasia. In this case, there is no need to drain the abdominal fluid.

Causes of abdominal fluid in feline infectious peritonitis

The feline infectious peritonitis virus can cause cats to develop peritonitis, resulting in increased permeability of the abdominal membrane. At the same time, its reabsorption ability is reduced, and lymphatic obstruction causes exudative ascites. Clinical signs include abdominal distension, prominent dorsal spine and ribs, progressive weight loss, and difficulty breathing in the later stages due to increased abdominal pressure.

How to diagnose feline infectious peritonitis

Feline infectious peritonitis can be detected using feline infectious peritonitis test strips. To confirm that a cat is infected with feline infectious peritonitis, pathological examination of the tissue is required. Wet feline infectious peritonitis presents with typical pleural and abdominal fluid, which is straw-colored, thick, high in protein, and contains a moderate number of inflammatory cells. Cats with dry feline infectious peritonitis showing central nervous system symptoms and ocular lesions often have high protein content in cerebrospinal fluid and aqueous humor.